Serbian Foreign Minister: Serbia will never support sanctions against Russia

Monday, November 13, 2017 4:00:05 PM

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia that his country will not support anti-Russian sanctions.

Answering a question about whether there is a possibility that under certain circumstances Serbia might be swayed by the West to go against Russia, Dacic said that “Serbia will remain consistent with its policy and will not join European sanctions against Russia.” The foreign minister also stressed that Serbia hoped and wished for the “soonest lifting of sanctions from Russia.”

“Of course we have to deal with the repercussions of our decision. Serbia wants to join the EU but we will never go against our national interests and will never impose sanctions against our friends,” the minister stressed.

Dacic further elaborated that Belgrade aimed at maintaining “all-encompassing cooperation and friendly relations” with Moscow in various fields, including the military-technical sector.

“We already received a very good offer for the purchase of military equipment, which will allow our military to conduct the required modernization,” the minister said.